Lena Dunham is clearly a fan of nudity, harboring a consistent attitude along the lines of “I’m naked, so what?” It should be a refreshing dismissal of entertainment’s constant oppression of real bodies in favor of svelt, flawless figures — an act that simply says, “This is a female body, too” and moves on. Instead Dunham’s nudity, which continues right from the start in Season 2 of HBO’s Girls, constantly twists peoples' brains into tiny pretzels of disbelief over the fact that (gasp!) a woman with a shape not found in the window of a Forever 21 dares to make us look at her unclothed figure. Thankfully, Dunham continues to strip away the bullshit.
Dunham addresses the unyieldingly popular topic yet again in her appearance on NBC’s Today on Tuesday, saying once and for all that’s it’s really not that big of a deal. “It’s not that brave to get naked if you’re not stressed about being naked,” says Dunham after her co-star Alison Williams praises her for being “the bravest person [she] know[s].” The writer/director/actress’s reaction is a refreshing one in an increasingly body-image obsessed culture – a culture that allows such descriptions of Dunham’s naked body like the one that ran in the NY Post review of Girls’ second season premiere: "giant thighs, a sloppy backside and small breasts.”
It’s a wonder (and a damn sad shame) that descriptions like that still exist. Yet, in the top half of a review of Dunham’s work, we’re talking about her thighs and not one of the four jobs she performs on Girls (writer, director, producer, actress). And while the prevailing discussion should be about her creativity and her writing, for or against, it was and continues to be about her body.
But we’ve been here before. Long before she was wearing her birthday suit on HBO’s Girls, Dunham was filming scenes in the buff. In her 2010 film Tiny Furniture, Dunham is seen walking around in nothing but a short t-shirt, exposing her thighs and her bottom and later exposing it all with clips of her video “The Fountain” (in which she is nude in, well, a fountain). Even then, her proclivity for nudity aroused interest in critics and viewers alike. Some reviewers like Manohla Dargis of The New York Times directed attention to the use of nudity as expression, “This, she seems to say whenever she points the camera at herself, is me, a very real, very human body coming into being.” Others, however, can’t get past the fact that Dunham continues to bare it all.
When Dunham addressed fans during her New Yorker Festival discussion in October, she of course touched on the topic. “It completely sickens me what our culture is doing to women,” she said. Dunham had recently worn an outfit that exposed her legs, from the top of her thighs down to her ankles and received rampant criticism for her “no pants look.”
”I didn’t go out without pants, I had shorts on… If Olivia Wilde had gone to a party with a big silky top and little shorts she might have been told her outfit was cute,” she said. "What it was really: ‘Why did you show us your thighs?’” And that’s the problem with descriptions like that from the Post, which called Dunham’s exposure of her “sloppy backside” a “boon for the out-of-shape and perhaps a giant economic loss for high-end gyms,” as if Dunham’s perfectly normal female form is some sort of expression of anti-establishmentarianism in a world of oppressive physical fitness. It’s as if average women of the world might see Dunham in the buff, throw out their gym memberships, and cry “fuck it” in unison. But again, that’s not the point.
Dunham tries time and again to address the “issue” calmly and with the assertion that it simply isn’t the ordeal it’s constantly made out to be. The woman ate cake naked on a toilet in an Emmys sketch – you’d think with that we could reach the limit of shock, move on, and stop feeling a sense of surprise every time Dunham takes her shirt off on television.
Okay. You’ve got us: she doesn’t look like most naked actresses we see in any form of media. But for the love of all that’s normal, so what? There is no point in uttering a word about Dunham’s ongoing self-exposure if we’re going to make it the yin to the yang that is the Perfect Female Figure According to Hollywood and boil it down to terms that make it something other.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler
Season 2 of Girls premieres on HBO on Jan. 13. Watch the full interview here:
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In what would have been the biggest story about rap royalty today — had it not been for the announcement of the impending birth of Sir/Lady West-Kardashian, the joyous bun in Kim Kardashian’s oven — Jay-Z is confirmed as the man behind the music for Baz Luhrmann’s summer release, The Great Gatsby.
Sorry, everyone who cried “By jove, there were no Jay-Z or Kanye West songs in the 1920s!” upon first viewing of the film’s trailer, which is draped in the aural opulence of the sometimes-duo’s “No Church in the Wild.” Jeymes Samuel of The Bullitts confirmed yesterday on his official Twitter (via The Film Stage) that he and Jay-Z have been working “tirelessly” on the score for the upcoming adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s canonical novel. The rap-laden soundtrack is imminent, dissenters, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Of course, fans of Luhrmann’s previous films, including Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet (which also starred Leonardo DiCaprio) will feel right at home with such an innovative choice for the film’s score. Both period pieces included stylized versions of modern classics like The Police’s “Roxanne” and “When Doves Cry” by Prince. Clearly, Luhrmann’s never been a fan of sticking with period appropriate elements in his films, and he’s got one of the most well-respected names in the music industry (and in pop culture, in general) at the helm. At the very least, there is a method to his arguable madness.
Of course, with West’s first born and Jay-Z conquering yet another entertainment venture (how does he even have time to attend all those Brooklyn Nets games?), these two may just take over the world. If we only knew how literal Watch The Throne was back in 2011.
The Great Gatsby hits theaters in May 2013.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter at @KelseaStahler
[Photo Credit: Warner Bros]
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Last night’s How I Met Your Mother solved the mystery that has been plaguing this entire season: How were Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin (Cobie Smulders) going to end up at the altar together? It seemed as if they were as far from an engagement as possible: they began this season with significant others, Barney going as far as proposing to his stripper girlfriend, Quinn. Then, when they both broke off their respective relationships, mishap after mishap kept these two soulmates from coming together. The final straw? Barney’s unexpected relationship with Robin’s co-worker/archenemy, Patrice (Ellen D. Williams).
Of course, in last night’s midseason finale, HIMYM revealed that Patrice was actually working with Barney to create one last play for Robin’s heart, called "The Robin." Their relationship was fake, perpetuated to make Robin realize her true feelings for Barney, culminating in their engagement on the roof of the Worldwide News Building.
While we knew these two crazy kids would find their way to each other, we had no idea how Patrice would factor into their relationship until the end of last night’s supersized episode. Hollywood.com got the chance to chat with Patrice herself, Ellen D. Williams, about the big reveal, how a one-line joke turned into a major recurring character, and Patrice’s future.
Hollywood.com: How did the character of Patrice come about?
Ellen D. Williams: It’s kind of a funny story. I feel like the acting gods above were smiling upon me that day. I was actually on jury duty and got the call from my manager and she said there was a one-line costar audition tomorrow, and so I was like, hopefully I can get out of jury duty! So I was able to get out of it. And actually, the part was written and created by Kourtney Kang, who is one of the executive producers and she’s Korean-American and she specifically wrote a character asking for a Phillipina. There’s only a handful of us, and there’s only a handful of my type, and we always see each other at auditions. It literally was just that one line from the "Stinson Missile Crisis" which was the first episode I did. Robin said, "Nobody asked you Patrice!" And I say, "He’s so dreamy." And I found out a week later that I had booked it! It was neat because that was my TV debut.
How did Patrice transform from a one-line joke to such a central recurring character?
It’s great that we can talk about it now. I’ve done some interviews before but I couldn’t really say anything until now. It’s great that we can now, after the reveal last night. They told me back in the summer that they were working on this bigger character arc and I was like, that’s great! In my mind I was trying to think of what it might be. I actually thought that maybe they would make Patrice Marshall and Lily’s nanny. And then when I had seen the first couple episodes I thought oh, it’s going to be something about Barney and Robin. And I was right! But I wasn’t sure until I really got that first script. It was exciting to know that I was going to be helping out with them. I was excited. I was supposed to be just this one-line costar, and then to have it recurring and then getting to be a part of this great story arc was exciting and amazing. I knew that there was no way Patrice and Barney would really be together. The whole playbook thing, the entire thing, I knew from the beginning as an actor and Patrice knew from the beginning that this was all just a big play.
How did the fans react during this big arc?
I knew that the fans were going to feel something about it, and I was just like, just hold out! Just a little longer! You’re going to be big Patrice fans after Monday night! I knew that there was never going to be anything between Patrice and Barney. I think everyone was intrigued. Absolutely. They all were like, she’s so different than any of the girls he’d been with. I think that was the great thing about the episode, “The Over Correction,” because it kind of helped people along to go, oh she’s completely different than anyone he’s ever been with in every kind of way. People could make sense of it for another week.
Do you think this showed growth on Barney's part, or is he just the same play-running ladies man?
I still think it was growth on his part. I really think his character had to go through all of those women to figure it out. And I loved every play. Every play was so thought out for his character. First he had to find the person that annoys Robin the most and talk to her to see if she’ll go for this. And of course my character would do anything for Robin. She loves Robin more than she ever had a crush on Barney. And she’s so naïve and innocent. She’s not like someone who would go, oh yeah, I’m dating Barney! This is happening for me! She’s not like that. And with all of her prior episodes with her healthy obsession with Robin, I think she would do anything for her. Patrice knew from the very beginning, and the way he approached her created this backstory, so it was perfectly fine and okay. And there was not a part of Patrice that was like, oh I can’t be with Barney, because she’s not like that at all.
Let's talk a little bit about that special relationship between Patrice and Robin.
I always think back to characters on other sitcoms like Michael and Toby on The Office, there are all these characters who just don’t like another character but we can’t figure out why. And I think that’s kind of what Robin and Patrice is like. And Patrice is just someone who sees the best in everyone and wants the best for everyone. She is super nurturing, sweet, warm and I think things just roll off her back. When she gets yelled at by Robin, it doesn’t affect her. There is just very much a naiveté to her. And yet she’s also smart. She’s not dumb in any way. And one of the biggest things she shows in the past four episodes is that she’s a really great actress to pull it off. And to me, that just shows how much she really adores Robin and would do anything for her.
I have got to ask: have any strangers yelled, "Nobody asked you, Patrice!" yet?
I haven’t had anyone yell it out to me on the street yet. But I’m sure at some point it will happen! My friends and family think it’s hysterical to yell to me, but so far no one has come up to me to yell it. I’m sure I’ll get a “Nobody asked you, Patrice!” at some point. I’m waiting for it!
Do you think there was ever any potential for Barney and Patrice to have a real relationship?
There have always been a group of fans that love Patrice, and once this whole story arc began there was a lot of “what,” “no way,” “I can’t believe it,” and “what are you doing,” and HIMYM fans are crazy! Just crazy about the show. And I had to learn what “shipping” is. That’s when you want two characters to be together. It’s just such a different generation of fan admiration because you can say anything on the internet. There were some people that were for Barney and Patrice, and there were a lot of people against it. But you know Patrice would never do anything to hurt Robin. I think for Patrice it was fun to be a part of this grand scheme. It gave her something to do and it was fun to be a part of this group of people she thinks is really cool. And so of course people are tweeting now, "Oh I hated you up until last night! We love you so much, I love you so much now! Thank you for bringing back the ultimate one true pair! OTP!" So I knew this whole time but the past few weeks I kept being like, just hold out! I just wanted to say, hold on! But I couldn’t give away spoilers. And I knew everyone would come around late Monday night. And they have.
What do you think the future holds for Patrice?
I don’t know where her future is headed. I’m not sure. We’ll see. I hope that Patrice is at least one of the bridesmaids at Barney and Robin's wedding. I think the ideal dream would be that Patrice gets her own spin-off! For the immediate future I think it would be great if Patrice could be a part of the wedding since she helped bring them together.
Do you have any idea who the mother will be?
I have no idea who the mother could be, or how it’s going to be revealed, but I know it’s going to be exciting. I’m a fan of the show, and I’m excited to find out how it’s going to happen. There is just not another show out there like this. It’s all about time and flashbacks. It’s like one of those mystery novels in some ways. As a kid I used to read these novels all the time, where they go, “If you think the character should go this way then turn to page forty-five!”
The create your own adventure books!
Yeah, create your own adventure! It’s like that for me. Someone once said, "Why do you think she was called the arch-nemesis," and I didn’t even know! People have to remember that everything’s in flashbacks so we weren’t going to find out right away. I think this is the reason why she was Robin’s arch-nemesis. I think that’s what makes HIMYM really different. You have to look for the clues. That’s what makes it like a mystery novel. What are the clues?
Yes, there are so many Easter eggs hidden throughout all the seasons.
Exactly! And you never know when you’re going to get glimpses of it. It’s exciting. It keeps people on the edge of their seats. It’s just so good. And there isn’t really that many other sitcoms who are going on as long as this. It’s kind of up there with Will and Grace and Friends of sitcom run times. So I do hope for the best for them.
Follow Sydney on Twitter @SydneyBucksbaum
[Photo Credit: Ron P. Jaffe/CBS]
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Another day, another singing show shakeup. We apparently can’t get through a single month without word of some X Factor/The Voice/American Idol judge going on a rant, quitting, or talking about maybe possibly quitting. This month’s requisite tale comes from The X Factor, where two-year vet and judge L.A. Reid has decided to hang up his quips and go back to his day job (running Epic Records).
Naturally, this story begets another well-worn procedure: contemplating, guessing, and proposing possible replacements for Reid. But The X Factor isn’t losing its famous face, or even its most outspoken judge. The loss of a bona fide industry expert – and one who’s working with current artists like Fiona Apple, Karmin, and Future (and not just UK X Factor flukes like One Direction and Leona Lewis like Cowell’s Syco Music) – is a big one. X Factor would be wise to seek a bit of an upgrade when finding Reid’s replacement: someone who’s got their hands in the music industry as it lives and breathes today, someone who’s cool enough to not feel out of place, knowledgeable enough to balance out Britney Spears’ dazed “amazings,” and someone who is interesting in their own right.
That list kind of narrows the field, but we’ve got a few ideas.
Pharrell Williams
Williams is not only one half of one the most well-known producing teams in music – The Neptunes – he’s also pretty easy on the eyes. Unlike Reid, he’s well-versed in performing for large crowds, thanks to his work with N.E.R.D., and he’s also behind the scenes on new and upcoming albums like Usher’s Looking 4 Myself, Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange, and Miley Cyrus’ upcoming album. He’d be a hard get, but he might actually be good for these contestants.
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald may not be an industry “artist” so much as a music industry hit-factory, but he could also bring some much needed credit to the panel. The songwriter and producer is responsible for some of the biggest hits by Ke$ha and Katy Perry, including “Part of Me,” “Tik Tok,” and “We R Who We R” to name a tiny sample of his work. He’s young enough that his presence wouldn’t feel too much like Grandpa Music Industry coming into school the kids, and he clearly knows what sells, so he might even be able to help The X Factor find a commercially successful artist.
Dr. Dre
Dre’s simply got the time. He just finished producing records for rising star Kendrick Lamar and headlining the Coachella music festival. He may be living the quiet life (or as quiet as it can be in this industry), but that might be why he could actually work. There’s a slight snag in that his expertise lies in the hip hop genre, but then again, this show is also a form of entertainment, and I find it hard to believe anyone wouldn’t be entertained by seeing Dre go head-to-head with two pop stars and a British V-neck enthusiast.
Jay-Z (Yes, it’s a pipe dream. I know. Let me have this moment, please.)
This would never happen. Ever. And if it did, I think most of us would worry about Jay-Z’s health (mental and physical). But if he ever decided to stop sitting courtside with Queen Beyonce at Brooklyn Nets games, stop being friends with the President, and cease being the King of the Music industry, wouldn’t it be just about the best way to take the X Factor to new heights? It would. Of course, Cowell would probably take issue with not being the most famous male on the panel, but he can worry about that when his series starts pulling in higher ratings.
Todd Rundgren
If all else fails, do a complete 180 and go with the eccentric old producer and artist. He’s had enough success to know what he’s talking about – even if his mark on the current industry is practically nonexistent. He’s strange enough that it won’t feel like a stodgy old music exec wielding his ostentatious sense of greater knowledge and if that’s not enough, he’s actually like a second father to Liv Tyler (he signed her birth certificate and acted as her father before she found out Steven Tyler was her actual dad), so it would almost be like keeping up with Idol. Okay, it would be like me trying to keep up with Michael Phelps in a pool, but it would be entertaining.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler
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“Comedy Central is ‘the’ place for live election results as ‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart’ presents ‘Election Night 2012: This Ends Now’ and ‘The Colbert Report’ presents ‘Election 2012: A Nation Votes, Ohio Decides; The Re-Presidenting of America: Who Will Replace Obama? ‘012!’” That’s what the press release announcing the live election special on Comedy Central on Nov. 6 opened with. Yet, when President Obama’s victory was called by every news outlet and announced via every social networking medium, Daily Show viewers were left in the dark for an entire Samantha Bee segment and a commercial break. Some changed the channel, some looked to Twitter and Facebook, and others just waited, but in any case, viewers learned a very important lesson: The Daily Show, while whip-smart and generally on top of most political shenanigans, is a comedy show. It’s not the place any of us should turn for truly breaking news.
“I was surprised as well that The Daily Show didn't quickly cut out of their segment and get back to business," says fan Alexis Wiener, who tuned into The Daily Show coverage in order to “to stay informed but be entertained as well, by someone I knew could do that job.” However, when she (and many other Daily Show fans like her) switched to Comedy Central, she didn’t find the information she sought and she instead found out about Obama’s projected win on Twitter. "So, I switched,” she says. “As much as I thought I wanted to be entertained at the moment, I really didn't. I wanted the facts, and that's why I switched ... The news came first.”
If you’re the sort of person who reads the newspaper (or its online counterpart), watches the nightly news, and follows serious political commentary and analysis, you likely scoff at anyone hoping to discover news on The Daily Show. Who would actually depend on a comedy series for the majority of their news? Well, a decent amount of people, as it turns out. Back in 2007, Americans were asked to choose the journalists they most admired, and coming in at number four, alongside Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams was comedian and Daily Show host Jon Stewart. What’s more is that during the 2012 Republican National Convention, the ratings revealed that Stewart and Stephen Colbert raked in more viewers than the big news networks. In the coveted “young people” demographic, viewers 18-34, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report raked in 450,000 viewers while Fox News trailed behind with 329,000. And when the demo expanded to 18-49, Comedy Central’s newsy 11-12 P.M. block saw a viewership of 824,000, dwarfing MSNBC’s 430,000 and CNN’s 415,000. Add to that the fact that in 2011, Stewart’s show was pulling in higher ratings than all of the programs on frequent target Fox News (2.3 million average viewers to Fox New’s average 1.85 million viewers across daytime and prime time programming). The difference was significant in both instances and it signaled a possible shift in the viability of cable news. Was it still king? And when both Comedy Central programs announced their live election coverage, the plot thickened. While both top Daily Show correspondent Jon Oliver and Stewart have said time and again that viewers can’t get possibly get all their news from The Daily Show, a survey performed by the Poynter Institute revealed that people who got all of their news from The Daily Show were still better informed by those who only used MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News as their news sources. The Comedy Central series' audience was bested only by NPR listeners and Sunday morning shows like Meet the Press. With that in mind, this 2012 Comedy Central election special, airing right in the middle of the votes being counted and called, entered interesting territory: Daily Show's special became an inadvertent tests to see if the entertainment program really could play cable news’ game, whether or not Comedy Central sought that outcome. Unfortunately, the comedy program lost that game, even if it ultimately won for laughs. The Daily Show was less the source for live election results as it was for the usual Daily Show sketches and segments, pre-recorded and pre-written before air, just like every other episode of the show before it. Aside from a few late projections (and one projection of fake mud onto Mitt Romney’s smiling mug), the episode was largely prefab content, heated and served for the audience just as the results of the election were ramping up. And when NBC News, CNN, and Fox News (who was the first to make a decision) called the 2012 election for President Obama, The Daily Show gave no indication of the victory (unless you count Stewart’s blatantly excited gestures to Bee as they threw it to a commercial break). It’s a fact some fans, like Weiner and many commenting on Daily Show's Facebook page ("Jon, you're missing it!"), found disappointing. But not everyone was upset with The Daily Show’s delay. New Jersey college student, Jeffrey Kramer, says he too needed a break from the onslaught of information on the news networks, but that Stewart and Co. did the right thing by holding off, even though Obama himself was sending out victory tweets before the series made its call. “I didn't expect [the networks] to call the crucial races in Ohio, Colorado or Iowa for at least an hour or so, so I switched over to [The Daily Show] to get some relief from the punditry,” he says. Like Wiener, he too found out that the race had been called for Obama, but didn’t find fault in The Daily Show for holding off for a few minutes. “Anyone who was watching The Daily Show in order to stay current on numbers and information were there for the wrong reasons. None of the promos gave me the impression they would be doing anything different than normal, just that it was live, so I would say it met my expectations,” he added. And it seems Kramer wasn’t alone. Los Angeles television executive and avid Daily Show viewer, Alex Sepiol, says he had no intention of watching the Comedy Central series in real time. Instead, he recorded it and saved it for after the news: “I watched it a couple hours after it initially aired while I was waiting for Obama to speak,” he says. Perhaps election night helped viewers understand that while informative and incredibly smart, The Daily Show is comedy based on news and not news with a funny candy-coating to help the medicine go down. That the live show was an election night hurrah and not an attempt at competing with the real news programs (even if they did air simultaneously). And if fans of the show had yet to accept that fact, the Nov. 6 delay heard ‘round... the-group-of-people-watching-Comedy-Central-or-the-show’s-live-stream certainly taught viewers that lesson. Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6673095/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Were you expected real time results from The Daily Show?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; [Photo Credit: Comedy Central] More: Obama Wins the 2012 Election: Happy With the Results? Most People Trusted NBC For Election Night News Jon Stewart and Colbert's Coverage of the 2012 Election: We're Live-Blogging It! From Our Partners: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson Wear Matching Outfits—PICS! (Celebuzz) New Bin Laden Movie: Oscar-Bound? 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Robert Zemeckis is a blockbuster director at heart. Action has never been an issue for the man behind Back to the Future. When he puts aside the high concept adventures for emotional human stories — think Forrest Gump or Cast Away — he still goes big. His latest Flight continues the trend revolving the story of one man's fight with alcoholism around a terrifying plane crash. Zemeckis expertly crafts his roaring centerpiece and while he finds an agile performer in Denzel Washington the hour-and-a-half of Flight after the shocking moment can't sustain the power. The "big" works. The intimate drowns.
Washington stars as Whip Whitaker a reckless airline pilot who balances his days flying jumbo jets with picking up women snorting lines of cocaine and drinking himself to sleep. Although drunk for the flight that will change his life forever that's not the reason the plane goes down — in fact it may be the reason he thinks up his savvy landing solution in the first place. Writer John Gatins follows Whitaker into the aftermath madness: an investigation of what really happened during the flight Whitaker's battle to cap his addictions and budding relationships that if nurtured could save his life.
Zemeckis tops his own plane crash in Cast Away with the heart-pounding tailspin sequence (if you've ever been scared of flying before Flight will push into phobia territory). In the few scenes after the literal destruction Washington is able to convey an equal amount of power in the moments of mental destruction. Whitaker is obviously crushed by the events the bottle silently calling for him in every down moment. Flight strives for that level of introspection throughout eventually pairing Washington with equally distraught junkie Nicole (Kelly Reilly). Their relationship is barely fleshed out with the script time and time again resorting to obvious over-the-top depictions of substance abuse (a la Nic Cage's Leaving Las Vegas) and the bickering that follows. Washington's Whitaker hits is lowest point early sitting there until the climax of the film.
Sharing screentime with the intimate tale is the surprisingly comical attempt by the pilot's airline union buddy (Bruce Greenwood) and the company lawyer (Don Cheadle) to get Whitaker into shape. Prepping him for inquisitions looking into evidence from the wreckage and calling upon Whitaker's dealer Harling (John Goodman) to jump start their "hero" when the time is right the two men do everything they can to keep any blame being placed upon Whitaker by the National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The thread doesn't feel relevant to Whitaker's plight and in turn feels like unnecessary baggage that pads the runtime.
Everything in Fight shoots for the skies — and on purpose. The music is constantly swelling the photography glossy and unnatural and rarely do we breach Washington's wild exterior for a sense of what Whitaker's really grappling with. For Zemeckis Flight is still a spectacle film with Washington's ability to emote as the magical special effect. Instead of using it sparingly he once again goes big. Too big.
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Lena Dunham is a bit of a conundrum. Just when it seems she's a normal, ridiculously successful 26-year-old who just happens to be absurdly honest, we find her eating cake, naked, in a bathroom stall at the Emmys. Of course, between stunts like that and her often controversial HBO series Girls, it's no wonder Dunham is a magnet for assumptions, criticisms, and downright harsh words. And though she has a steady Twitter presence, the young actress/writer/director stays out of the critical fray for the most part. And that is why, when she sat down to discuss all things Lena during an event at the New Yorker Festival in Manhattan, the audience waited with bated breath for her bare, honest answers to questions we've all asked ourselves since we saw our first episode of Girls. And for fans of the often pants-less filmmaker and showrunner, the afternoon was one full of delight, delivering a host of reasons to love Dunham even more (13 reasons, to be exact). 1. Louis C.K. Seems to Think She's Pretty GreatDunham met the comedian's comedian, who she described as having "a f**k-this-scene vibe," at this year's Emmys, where they were both nominated for their fringe comedies. Gushing over the funnyman the way most 15-year-olds might gush over meeting a moppy-haired One Direction singer, Dunham described her guru-esque meeting with Louie. During a commercial break, he walked over to her, gave her a hug and told her, "What you're doing is important." This moment is not only moving (Dunham has played it over and over again a million times in her head), but it's just about the most perfect interaction between two people whose work on television occupies a similar, mass-audience-confounding plane. 2. She goes to Justin Bieber concerts. Seriously. She even shared her knowledge of how much he praises his fans in between songs as proof. Stars: they're just like us! 3. She's Not Going to Stop Going Without Pants, So Please Stop Talking About ItDunham wore a silky tunic in late September that seemed to grab her lots of attention. The girl who's frequently naked on television (and in movies) apparently sent waves through the fashion world when she decided to show off her legs, but it seems her only crime is not having the thighs of a model. "I don't think a girl with tiny thighs would get so much no-pants attention," she said to thunderous applause. And as if we weren't already eating out of her hand like a flock of baby birds, Dunham added the rebellious (and let's face it, probably true) kicker: "Get used to it, because I'm going to live to be 105 and I'm going to show my thighs every day until I die." 4. Her Favorite Spice Girl is Sporty Spice.She likes her "casual style," okay? 5. She's No Mean GirlWhen confronted with the issue of the deficiency of women showrunners on television and the fact that she seems to be fans of or friends with many of the more prominent lady showrunners, Dunham said she has one rule to live by: "This isn't easy. There aren't enough of us. We should be taking care of each other." That's girl power if there ever was any. 6. She's Writing a Self Help Book Because People Who Write Self Help Books Fascinate Her"I love self help," she says. And without really explaining what her own book will be about, she adds her reasoning for the obsession. She's mystified by "the idea that you could master the most mysterious emotion" (and by that she means love) and then start telling others how to handle it. 7. Hannah Isn't Going to Become the TV LenaWhile Hannah Horvath is clearly derived from Dunham's real life, the writer swears she isn't just telling her own life story on TV. "I don't think Hannah wants the life I have," she says. In fact, "we" don't even know if Hannah has the capability to be an artist on that level. "Maybe that's the big Lost-style mystery [of Girls]," says Dunham. 8. She Apparently Has a Crush on Donald Glover Too, LadiesThe Community star, who also raps under the stage name Childish Gambino, will guest on Season 2 of Girls, and has apparently stolen Dunham's heart. "He's just so adorable," she giggles. She saved his character for late in Season 2 because Hannah has a "specific" romantic issue at the start of the season and Dunham "didn't want to share him with anyone." 9. She Doesn't Get in Twitter Fights, But She's Got a Bone to Pick With Those of You Who Think She's "Racist" or "Privileged"When Girls first aired on HBO, and in the weeks preceding its premiere, Dunham became the subject of a hailstorm of criticism claiming her early success was simply a product of nepotism (her parents are famous artists) and that her show's depiction of 20-something life in New York was exclusionary and therefore racist. Dunham says "it's not a cool move" to respond to that on Twitter, despite the defense she has at the ready courtesy of numerous summer jobs she's held since the age of 12 to earn her keep at home (not to mention the fact that she's not taking their gallery world by storm) and the fact that she never intended for Girls to be the end-all, beat-all record of 20-somethings living in Brooklyn. Still, "That is a real criticism," says Dunham, comparing the diversity issue to the nepotism claim. "If I in any way accidentally made that promise [to represent all New York 20-somethings], mea culpa," she says. Of course, she's never one to end a topic on a somber note, so she made sure to top off the whole discussion with one major complaint for her attackers: "Isn't it enough that I'm kind of fat and naked on TV?" This is where you say "Touche," guys. 10. The Girl Sticks to Her Guns, Even When That Doesn't Always Win Her Brownie PointsWhen a former writer for Girls to took to Twitter to defend the show for its supposed racism, she actually offended people all over again, causing her to delete the tweets and later apologize. Many people called for Dunham to apologize on behalf of the writer, and worse, fire her. But not only was Dunham "not interested in public firings," the woman didn't even work on Girls at that time. "I won't issue a public statement to apologize for someone's defense of work they didn't create ... For me to add fuel to that fire could add weeks to the conversation," she says. 11. She Doesn't Take S**t From Anyone. And She's Serious About ItDespite her youth, Dunham says the one thing she's learned while working on Girls is that she needs to trust herself. Often (and likely because she's so young) she gets criticism and notes from all directions, but she says she knows she's got the authority and the vision to do things her way, or as she remarked with so much inoffensive snark, she encountered this issue with an actress on the show and thought, "I don't need to be open to the whims of someone who hasn't eaten in four and a half weeks." I'd say she's sassy, but Dunham whipped out that commentary with such complete sincerity, it'd be a disservice to bring it down to the level of a Honey Boo Boo head wag. 12. She Actually Loves the Character of Adam, And No, Guy-She-Made-Out-With-Once-In-College, That Character is Not Based on YouIt's no secret that Dunham pulls much of her material for Girls from her own life, especially for Hannah's friendship with Marni (Alison Williams), which is based on Dunham's relationship with her best friend. But guess what? The guys come from real life too. Even Adam. But apparently everyone she's ever flirted with seems to think her male characters are derived from themselves. "It's amazing how many guys want to take credit for the dicks I write about," she laughs. Of course, while many of us might put Hannah's boyfriend (or something) Adam on that list, Dunham insists he's no villain. "There's a lot of love in that character. I adore that character," she says. And while it may be hard for many of us to get past Adam's strange dirty talk about Hannah being a young girl, Dunham's defense begs a closer reading of a character many of us simply wrote off. 12b. One Of Those Male Characters Will Pull His Experience from Judd ApatowThe episode hasn't aired yet, but Dunham says she'll use an instance from Apatow's past: He told a girl he loved her and she snapped back with "See, it's always about you!" It's okay, Judd. Your life clearly turned out okay. 13. There's Good Reason Behind The Plentiful Sex Scenes In Her WorkFor starters, she's always been that way. "I've been writing about sex since the first second I learned was sex was," she says. But it wasn't just some perverted or carnal fascination with the horizontal mambo, she says she saw a hole in the cinematic depiction of sex. "The missing link for me was the presence of bodies I understood," says Dunham. And being that she's been singled out for her very un-Hollywood body, that makes sense. She says she grew tired of films that seemed to be so aware of the presence of the audience when filming sex scenes, citing the example of Reese Witherspoon waking up after a one-night-stand in a James L. Brooks movie wearing a cute little nighty. She says she thought, "I can't handle you Hollywood." And anyone who's seen her sex scenes on Girls knows she's doing everything she can to combat that picture-perfect movie sex none of us will ever have. If you're not a Lena Dunham fangirl (or fanboy) by now, you probably never will be. Just don't tweet your distaste at her and expect an answer. Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler [Photo Credit: HBO, Instagram] More: Lena Dunham is Writing a Book: Vying to Be the 'Voice of a Generation' 13 Amazon Reviews Reveal That J.K. Rowling's New Book Is Tearing Us Apart The Inelegant Emmys

TV lovers are lucky these days. We've got this handy dandy invention called the DVR that makes it possible to be in two places at once. It's like a television time machine. But, as with any technology, when the honeymoon period is over we start to see the blemishes: mainly the fact that the hallowed DVR cannot record more than two programs at a time. How did that happen? Doesn't Mr. TiVo know that Dexter, The Good Wife, and Revenge all air at the exact same time? How are we supposed to decide?
And this fall, it seems that the decision process isn't going to get any easier. There's simply too much good stuff. But there are a few nights that provide truly confounding DVR dilemmas. Let us all begin the process now: We'll put the series' cards out on the table. Then it's up to you to tell us how you'll cut your losses.
Dilemma #1: Sunday Nights, 10 PM
666 Park Avenue (ABC)
Who's in it? John Locke from Lost, Vanessa Williams, and the cute brother from Brothers and Sisters.
What's it about? A haunted, historic New York apartment building. Possibly run by the devil.
Do I need to see it every week, in order? Yep.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? Yessir.
The Mentalist (CBS)
Who's in it? Simon Baker and some other people known for their appearances on The Mentalist.
What's it about? Having the chance to spend an hour with Simon Baker once a week.
Do I need to see it every week, in order? Only if you've got a Simon Baker deficiency.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? Yes. Simon Baker is also available in an online streaming capacity.
Homeland (Showtime)
Who's in it? Inigo Montoya, er, Mandy Patinkin, Damien Lewis, and Claire Danes.
What's it about? Terrorism and conspiracy theories. And Claire Danes' exquisite mental breakdowns.
Do I need to see it every week, in order? How is this even a question? Let me make this very clear: DUH.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? Not legally.
Treme (HBO)
Who's in it? Folks like Melissa Leo and Wendell Pierce, but what you really need to know is that David Simon, who createdThe Wire, is pulling the strings.
What's it about? A New Orleans neighborhood of the same name which was heavily affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Do I need to see it every week, in order? Yes. Just how much CSI have you guys been watching?
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? With an HBOgo login, yes.
Sunday Night Football (NBC)
Who's in it? American heroes (whose personal lives and indiscretions we'll ignore for the moment because it's time to watch football, dammit).
What's it about? 'Merica.
Do I need to see it every week, in order? Yes, if you care about rankings and how a team makes it to the playoffs. Or if you have a Fantasy Football team. No, if you're just a casual Football viewer.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? No, but you can certainly read all about it.
You've got the info, so who's getting cut from your Sunday 10 PM lineup?
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6510875/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sunday at 10 PM: Which Show Will You Cut?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
Dilemma #2: Thursday 10 PM
Scandal (ABC)
Who's in it? Kerry Washington and Desmond from Lost, Brutha.
What's about? The scandalous world of politics. Get it?
Do I need to see it every week, in order? It wouldn't be a bad idea.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? Yes.
Elementary (CBS)
Who's in it? Lucy Liu and a handsome Englishman you probably recognize from Dexter.
What's it about? It's a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. Except Watson is a lady.
Do I need to watch it every week, in order? Not necessarily, but it couldn't hurt.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? Why, it's elementary, my dear reader. (I mean "Yes.")
Rock Center (NBC)
Who's in it? Brian "Effing" Williams
What's it about? News. You know, those things that happen outside of the television.
Do I need to see it every week, in order? No, but you might feel smarter if you do.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? Select segments, yes.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Who's in it? The best people on television: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, and Rob McElhenney. Also, the wildly disgusting and entertaining Danny DeVito.
What's it about? Um. Well, there's a bar. And there's this group of friends... okay, we're not exactly sure what this show is "about."
Do I need to see it every week, in order? No. But did I really need to choreograph a dance to Charlie's "Dayman" song? No. Did I? Absolutely.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? Not legally.
Jersey Shore (MTV)
Who's in it? Snooki, with child. And a bunch of other drunken yahoos.
What's it about? It's a scared straight video series preaching abstinence and sobriety by showing you what life can be like without those things. Oh, it's not? Okay. It's a bunch of reality nonsense.
Do I need to see it every week, in order? Only if you really care about what ridiculous thing Sammi Sweetheart said last week while drunk on Ciroc at Karma. Whatever it is, it's got Ronnie really angry. No, bro. I've never seen him like this. Really.
If I miss it, can I watch it for free online? Yes.
Alright, you have the details. Which series are you sending back to its mama's house?
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6510871/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Thursday at 10 PM: Which Show Will You Cut?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
Next:

We may have to wait until Oct. 11 to get back to Mystic Falls, but the people at the CW are determined to make that month as painful as Elijah's conspicuous absence from the series. The Vampire Diaries has released its first decent trailer for Season 4, and by decent, I mean full of teasery greatness.
They could have released a 30-second clip with Elena (Nina Dobrev) waking up and looking distraught before throwing on the title card with the signature CW jingle and we'd still be salivating. But no, the CW knows we need more. Still, delivering this much information is almost worse. Now we want that October premiere even more. It's genius.
Here are the 10 most important (and agonizing) takeaways from the trailer:
1. Elena Refuses To Accept Her Vampire Fate.
Of course she thinks there's some way of getting out of it. After all, she's cheated death about a million times, why can't she cheat vampirism too? Naturally, Stefan and Bonnie are supporting her completely nonsensical plight.
2. Damon Thinks Elena Is Being Ridiculous.
Because, as usual, Damon is the only one who looks at things logically instead of in some sort of filter that I'm assuming has a rosy hue and twinkly stars everywhere.
3. Caroline and Tyler, or, er, Klaus, Are Getting It On In the Woods.
This tells us nothing about which being is inhabiting Tyler's muscle-clad body. From the eagerness from Tyler's side, it could be the hybrid himself finally reuniting with his Vampire Barbie. Or Klaus is finally getting what he wants. If that's the case, let me be the first to say: it'd be so much more gratifying if he did it in the form of Joseph Morgan.
4. Bonnie Is Willing to Kill Herself to Maybe Save Elena.
For someone who was furious with Elena always being the girl getting saved last season, she sure is willing to put a hell of a lot on the line to keep her from an uncomfortable fate. In the trailer, Bonnie passes out as a part of her plan to die, find Elena in the afterlife, and bring her back. Let's hope there's at least a little more to this hairbrained scheme than meets the eye.
5. The Cops or Federal Agents of Some Kind Are After Vampires.
Caroline's Sheriff mother tries to stop them, but since mobs of police or agents or whatever they are rarely listen to local sheriffs, she can't stop them and they descend in upon our favorite vampires... including Elena the baby vamp.
6. Caroline and Another Blonde (Rebecca, perhaps?) Are In a Serious Car Accident While Locked Up in a Van.
It would seem that the blonde next to Caroline would be Rebecca considering these agents are rounding up vampires, and both ladies qualify. Thus, they'd be found strapped into a van, and because nothing goes smoothly on TVD, especially when cars are involved, something dramatic is sure to go down with that van.
7. Elena Waits Too Long to Feed and The Law Enforcement Might Keep Her From Transitioning.
We see Elena and Stefan locked in different cells while Elena wimpers to her chosen Salvatore that she's dying. Stefan's reaction, naturally, is to scream at the top of his lungs. If they're taking it down to the wire, chances are Elena is going to have to feed on whatever is nearby: could that mean she's about to sink her baby fangs into one of the folks keeping her locked up? Now that would be a delicious, intriguing twist.
8. Bonnie and Jeremy Are Getting Close Again.
We weren't sure what it all meant when these two showed a bit of mild affection in last season's finale, but now, Bonnie and Jeremy are teaming up and the concern in his voice when she passes out is palpable. They're clearly on the road to reuniting... as long as Bonnie actually manages to cheat death.
9. Elena Has Yet to Switch to Team Damon.
With Elena hanging all over Damon in many of the Season 4 promotional materials, there's been speculation that she'll be making the switch to the darker Salvatore. For now, the trailer shows us that she's firmly in Stefan's grasp, and there's little sign that it's about to change.
10. Well, There is the Part Where Stefan and Damon are Fighting Again...
Then again, TVD is notorious for teasing heated, fleeting moments as much bigger plot points. But Stefan did steal the girl and his support of her ridiculous idea of reversing the vampire process while the clock is ticking down to her death would naturally rile up the very practical Damon. Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler [Photo Credit: CW] More: Todd Williams Joins 'The Vampire Diaries': One Vampire For Another Comic-Con 2012 'Vampire Diaries' Panel: Best Bites 'Vampire Diaries' Season Finale Recap: It Had To Be You